Thursday 29 January 2009

Living Flame

Ok, so no one was interested in the art auction! :) Well it was still worth running it to see if anyone was.


Never mind, I've been busy with other work this week....


I was asked a few weeks ago by a woman, to do a painting in the abstract style of the Fantasy Fannies, but of a virtually whole woman taken from a black and white photo that I was sent, and also the colours were to be in pastel colours, plus she wanted a hidden woman within the image like the Queyntes have.. MMmm.... it took me a while to get into the idea of how to do it. Because the Fantasy Fannies are created from close up photos so the shapes look abstract to start with, whereas this image was most definitely a woman, a gorgeous sexy woman, and the image of her wasn't to be hidden, it was to be kept. So I drew it out as it was from the photo, and then started playing with the colours. Normally I paint bright and dramatic paintings, but I had been asked specifically for pastel colours. So I had to tone down my natural exuberance, and paint subtle colours in a subtle way. The elbow length gloves, hair and panties were all very dark in the photo and I would have normally have painted them black, but decided to make my darkest darks "royal purple" and then that being only the colour of the hair, gloves and the dark shadow between the luscious buttocks. There was a gorgeous white light down the side of the body, coming from a side light in the photo, and for me that was incredibly important to keep, as it accentuated the shape, and added interest to the otherwise symmetrical shape. So, bit by bit, I built up the colours, and shades, using "glazing" as the technique for building up the subtle colours, the colour underneath shining through the colour on top, and adding to the description of the small nuances of muscle tone and body shape. And the strength of colour in the background that made the image look like she was standing separate from the background. I also decided that if I made the woman logo within her any smaller it would have looked like a tattoo which would have spoilt the effect. When I got to the point that this picture is at, I stopped, and thought that I could go on, and do more, but to do so would detract from the pastel colours and the way the white of the paper shines through the paint. So I contacted the woman who had commissioned me, showed her this image and asked her what she thought - and she loved it! She thought the image looked powerful, feminine and sensuous all at once. She loved it as much as I do, fortunately! For me, I love the 3-D shape of the body, and the way the background seems to flow around her like a flame - and this prompted me to call the painting "Living Flame" because it shows the woman as a vibrant, vivid, vital and sensuous woman, with the almost chameleon like effect of being able to cope with her life and the challenges it brings within it.


My spiritual healer friend saw this finished painting the other day and commented that the photo I was working from was excellent quality, infact a beautiful piece of art on its own, BUT that I had taken that image and made something even more beautiful with my colours and depiction of the woman within the painting. I agree with her. This woman is gorgeous.


But all of this is actually the "working painting" - so now I have to re-paint it in the same way but on watercolour paper, with a slightly larger background to it that will give the framer chance to frame it without losing any of these beautiful colours under the mount. At least the second painting will be a lot quicker to do than the first one - because I'm just copying it, whereas the first painting had a lot of "thinking time" in its creation.

19 comments:

nitebyrd said...

Jackie, this is one of your most fabulous pieces to date! Gorgeous!
I just LOVE it!

Jackie Adshead said...

Nitebyrd - Thankyou, I agree, its gorgeous and I love it!!!!!!

Frequent Traveler said...

Good Thursday afternoon to you, Jackie.

I love how much time and thought and decision-making went into it, Jackie.
You truly created a "living flame" here - your work is so powerful.
Perfect name for the piece.

She embodies a sensous vitally alive powerful woman in your painting, and for you to be able to capture that so well is a tribute to your skill and passion for the whole abstract/queyntes theme.

I can't wait to get it framed, and to see it on the wall :)

Spiky Zora Jones said...

your art is lovely honey...sorry I'm running late here.

Art pieces are hard to sell on the net. Size, colors used and clarity are ambiguous. So art buyers usually shy away.

later honey.

Spiky Zora Jones said...

I agree with nitebyrd. This piece is one of your best. It's beautiful.

I think you should do more in this style...

Ciao sweetie. have a fab Friday.

Nolens Volens said...

I love it! That's a whole new direction of art! Excellent work!

Jackie Adshead said...

Loving Annie - Thankyou for appreciating all the hard work that went into this special painting. And I agree that its a perfect name for the piece and all it depicts. And I hope you have much pleasure having it on the wall so I'll get it painted as fast as I can!

Jackie Adshead said...

Spiky - Thanks for telling me, but it was worth trying the art auction to see if anyone wanted to pick up any bargains.

Thankyou, I think its one of my best too, and I plan on doing more in this style.

Jackie Adshead said...

Nolens Volens - Thankyou!

nitebyrd said...

Being broke SUCKS! I would have definitely bid if I could have, Jackie.

Jackie Adshead said...

Nitebyrd - Well, when you're rich and famous my art will still be here, so come back and we'll discuss it then.....

Indi said...

This is a truly beautiful piece of work. I love the depth of the colours, and as nitebyrd said.. Gorgeous!

Jackie Adshead said...

Indigo - Thankyou! I hope to do some more in this style because I think its so effective.

Carnalis said...

Jackie, that is such a fabulous painting .. i love the colours and the light. Beautiful. I am sure your client is thrilled.

I am sorry your art auction didn't take off .. it is *such* a horrible time for everyone at the moment - maybe we all being super cautious.

Jackie Adshead said...

Carnalis - Thankyou, I think it's truly beautiful also, my client is thrilled with it and I am too!

I agree, that everyone is being sensibly cautious at the moment, but we have to try these things to see if they work and if they don't we try something else instead in the hope that that may!

Trixie said...

One word Jackie...

STUNNING!!!

I love the effect of the muscles on her back.

Jackie Adshead said...

Trixie - Thankyou, I love the subtle way the muscles are depicted in these delicate pastel shades, they compliment each other so well.

Frequent Traveler said...

Jackie,
I don't feel pretty sometimes - but looking at it, I wonder how or why I hate myself so much. You've made me beautiful in that painting...

Jackie Adshead said...

Loving Annie - I don't think any woman *feels* pretty all the time, and we all hate parts of our body or have perceived dislikes of it, some or most of the time. BUT others will always see us differently than we see ourselves. And my job is to look at a person and see the inner and outer beauty and capture it as best I can. The photograph you sent me was of a stunningly beautiful woman, with a gorgeous body. I took that photo and after a long time of looking at it and thinking about what I was going to do, I created this painting. I can honestly say, it is one of my best paintings. I look at it and know it captures the essence of a beautiful woman, and the colours I've chosen add emphasis to that beauty. You've read the comments here, and can see that the others agree.

I hope that when you have this painting hanging on your wall, you will look at it daily and know that the woman in the painting is beautiful. And that she is you.

And THAT is why I paint pictures. I paint peoples dreams, hopes, wishes and desires.